Alexander Zverev will have a chance to defend his Hamburg Open title against Arthur Fils after overcoming Pedro Martinez in the last four on Saturday.
Zverev needed one hour and 25 minutes on court to beat Martinez 6-2 6-4, ending a run that saw the Spaniard eliminate seeds Matteo Arnaldi and Francisco Cerundolo.
The home favourite earned his first break in the third service game and followed up with another in the seventh, also winning 92% of his first-serve points in the opener as Martinez failed to apply any sustained pressure.
Zverev broke again at the start of the second set before producing crucial holds in the second and seventh games, reaching his third straight clay-court final after also going all the way at the Masters 1000 in Rome and the French Open.
He will face Fils in the showpiece match after the Frenchman overcame Sebastian Baez by a 6-2 6-2 scoreline in just 67 minutes, reaching his first ATP 500 final.
Data Debrief: Zverev eyes Hamburg history
Zverev became just the second German to win the Hamburg title last year after Michael Stich in 1993, and he could now become the first to defend the trophy with Stich falling to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the 1994 semi-finals.
George Russell was left to rue "a fundamental error" that led to a "disaster" in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.
The Mercedes driver will start Sunday's race towards the back of the grid in 17th place after suffering a shock exit in Q1 on a dramatic day of qualifying at Hungaroring.
Russell did so as a result of his team failing to provide him with enough fuel in the wet-dry conditions.
"There are two factors," he told Sky Sports. "The first was I didn't do a good enough job at the beginning. The second was we didn't have enough fuel to complete the session.
"It was a disaster from both aspects. We should have got through comfortably. Not having enough fuel is a fundamental error from the team."
There were better fortunes for Oscar Piastri, who finished in second place and just 0.022 seconds behind team-mate Lando Norris, ensuring McLaren's first lock-out in qualifying since the 2012 British Grand Prix.
"It's cool to be here, especially when you get a result like this," he said. "Very happy, of course, but I missed out by two-hundredths, so you think of all the little things you could've done better.
"We had a bit of a tricky day on my side yesterday, but it's nice to bounce back this morning and obviously this afternoon in [qualifying].
"It wasn't easy - a lot of decisions on the fly - but to end up with both cars on the front row is an amazing result."
Lando Norris is expecting to secure a second-ever Formula One victory after claiming his third career pole at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
Norris edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen as McLaren claimed their first lock-out in qualifying since the British Grand Prix in 2012.
McLaren now have the opportunity to reach 10 or more podiums for the first time since 2012 (13), with Norris also presented the chance to equal Denny Hulme as the driver with the eighth most podiums in the history of the British team.
Norris beat Piastri to pole position by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in a session that featured two red flags and changing weather conditions.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will have to achieve a record 200th podium from fifth place, while Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and sixth respectively.
“I am very very happy, not an easy qualifying, different conditions, always ending up on top, it’s the best part of it all," Norris said.
“I’m happy especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see so congrats to the team.
“We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, I’m looking forward to it. Two cars on the front row, we can control it from there so as long as we stay where we are, we will be happy.
“I’m expecting to [do well], if I don’t it’s not been a good day. The car is doing well, I feel like I’m driving well so it’s obvious what the aim is for tomorrow."
Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth respectively, with RB's Daniel Ricciardo finishing a place behind.
Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10 but sustained a heavy crash in the final qualifying session.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez endured another difficult time out on track, crashing out in the first qualifying session and will start 16th on the grid.
George Russell will also start towards the back of the grid after he and the Mercedes team were unable to recover from a poor opening wet-dry session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Lando Norris said he is expecting to secure a second-ever Formula 1 victory after claiming his third career pole at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
Norris edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen as McLaren claimed their first lock-out in qualifying since the British Grand Prix in 2012.
The McLaren pair have the opportunity to reach 10 or more podiums for the first time since 2012 (13), with Norris also presented the chance to equal Denny Hulme as the eighth driver with the most podiums in the history of the British team.
Norris beat Piastri to pole position by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046secs behind in a session that featured two red flags and changing weather conditions.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will have to achieve a record 200th podium from fifth place, while Ferarri duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and sixth respectively.
“I am very very happy, not an easy qualifying, different conditions, always ending up on top, it’s the best part of it all," Norris said.
“I’m happy especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see so congrats to the team.
“We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, I’m looking forward to it. Two cars on the front row, we can control it from there so as long as we stay where we are, we will be happy.
“I’m expecting to [do well], if I don’t it’s not been a good day. The car is doing well, I feel like I’m driving well so it’s obvious what the aim is for tomorrow."
Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth respectively, with RB's Daniel Ricciardo finishing a place behind.
Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10, but sustained a heavy crash in the final qualifying session, with the Italian team facing a race to get their car ready for Sunday's race.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez endured another difficult time out on track, crashing out in the first qualifying session and will start 16th on the grid.
George Russell will also start towards the back of the grid after he and the Mercedes team were unable to recover from a poor wet-dry session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Rafael Nadal insisted he was forced to "find a way to survive" to reach his first tour-level final since 2022 during his win over Duje Ajdukovic in Bastad.
Nadal continued his preparations for the Paris Olympics by coming from a set down to reach the final of the Swedish Open on Sunday.
The Spaniard will either play Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges before travelling to France to try and claim a third gold medal at the games.
Nadal's last tour-level final came at Roland Garros two years ago, where this year's tennis will be taking place during the Paris Olympics.
Nadal's semi-final test came just a day after a gruelling four-hour win over Mariano Navone, the second-longest three-set match of his career.
The Spaniard was able to complete the victory in just two hours and 12 minutes, but insisted that Ajdukovic posed a difficult opponent on Centre Court.
“I think it was a tough match," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against.
"He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back.
"It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”
Nadal continues his Olympic Games preparation later on Saturday, with a doubles semi-final clash against Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos, alongside partner Casper Ruud.
Rafael Nadal insisted he was forced into survival mode to reach a first tour-level final since 2022 following his win over Duje Ajdukovic in Bastad.
Nadal continued his preparations for the Paris Olympics by coming from a set down to reach the final of the Swedish Open on Sunday.
The Spaniard will either play Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges before travelling to France to try and claim a third gold medal at the games.
Nadal's last tour-level final came at Roland Garros two years ago, where this year's tennis will be taking place during the Paris Olympics.
Nadal's semi-final test came just a day after a gruelling four-hour win over Mariano Navone, the second-longest three-set match of his career.
The Spaniard was able to complete the victory in just two hours and 12 minutes, but insisted that Ajdukovic posed a difficult opponent on Centre Court.
“I think it was a tough match," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against.
"He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back.
"It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”
Nadal continues Olympic Games preparation later on Saturday, with a doubles semi-final clash against Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos, alongside partner Casper Ruud.
Rafael Nadal booked his place in the final Swedish Open after beating Duje Ajdukovic in Bastad.
Nadal came from a set down, as he did in his quarter-final triumph over Mariano Navone, to win 4-6 6-3 6-4 on Centre Court.
Ajdukovic started the faster of the two, winning a break point early on and raced into a three-game lead against the Spaniard.
While Nadal found his rhythm, winning a break of his own in the fifth game, the Croatian was able to hold his serve to take the first set with relative ease.
The 22-time major winner learned his lesson from his slow start, trading blows with Ajdukovic and earning a quick break point of his own in the third game.
Ajdukovic would rally, but another break point from Nadal in the seventh game proved decisive as he saw out the set to take it to a decider.
And it looked as though the Spaniard would ease into Sunday's final as he led 3-0, but Ajdukovic would fight back, going on to win the next three games.
Nadal, however, used all his experience to regain composure before finding a crucial break in the eighth game, ending the contest on serve as his opponent deft touch from the back of the court found the net.
Nadal will face either Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges in Sunday's final.
Data Debrief: Nadal back on top
His second as a wildcard after Hamburg in 2015, Nadal has now reached his 72nd ATP event final on clay. It is the second-most of any player on the surface in the Open Era, trailing only Guillermo Vilas (76) over that span.
Nadal's victory sees him reach his first tour-level final for the first time since Roland Garros in 2022 where he beat Casper Rudd for his 14th French Open title.
Matteo Berrettini is through to his third Swiss Open final following an impressive straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 2018 champion - and 2022 runner-up - prevailed 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 after one hour and 42 minutes to set up a championship showdown with Quentin Halys in Gstaad.
Berrettini had lost all five of his previous meetings with top seed Tsitsipas, but dropped just one point on serve during the opening set, which he eventually snatched in a tie-break.
The Greek was seeking his third ATP final of the season on clay, having triumphed in Monte-Carlo and been runner-up to Casper Ruud in Barcelona.
However, he just could not shake off the Italian, who crucially broke in game 11 of the second set before holding for victory.
He will contest Sunday's championship match with Frenchman Halys, who saw off fifth seed Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets.
Data Debrief: Big-serving Berrettini stuns Tsitsipas
The statistics certainly favoured Tsitsipas, who was 14-1 against Italian opponents on clay and 29-2 against players ranked outside the top 50 on surface since the start of the 2021 season.
However, Berrettini had other ideas. The former Wimbledon finalist, who was 1-6 against top-15 opponents on clay, won 92% of his first-serve points.
And while Tsitsipas double-faulted on four occasions, Berrettini stood firm and is now an impressive 12-1 in Gstaad.
Jamaica’s trio of Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson, and Romelda Aiken-George will again grace the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League’s big stage, as Adelaide Thunderbirds secured a spot in the grand final with a dominant 68-43 win over Melbourne Vixens in the major semi-final at Adelaide 36ers Arena on Saturday.
Aiken-George again led from the front with 39 goals from 44 attempts, while Lauren Frew had 18 goals from 18 attempts, including a Super Shot worth two goals. Lucy Austin (10 goals from 11 attempts), and Georgie Horjus, with a solitary goal from three attempts, got in on the act in the 25-goal blowout.
An elated Wilson told SportsMax.TV that last week’s narrow two-goal win over Sunshine Coast Lightning, served as motivation for this, the biggest finals winning margin in Suncorp Super Netball history.
“From the outside looking in, it might seem easy, but it is never easy. However, I believe we needed that close game last week to motivate us to win this one by such a wide margin, especially with a spot in the final up for grabs,” she shared shortly after the win.
Sterling-Humphrey registered 300-intercept milestone.
While it will be back-to-back finals for Wilson and Sterling-Humphrey with the reigning champions, it will be Aiken-George’s first with the Thunderbirds, as she joined the franchise earlier in the season. However, the towering goal shooter won three Premierships in a 14-season stint with Queensland Firebirds and, as such, is no stranger to being in a final.
“I know the capabilities of my team, and I am sure that we have the ability to go back-to-back. We are a team that is evolving, and we are playing each game on its merit. We don’t talk about the game; we play it. So from here, it is just to rest, recover, and prepare for whoever we will meet in the final,” Wilson noted.
Meanwhile, the Vixens, who got their goals from Kiera Austin (16 goals from 19 attempts), Sophie Garbin (15 goals from 19 attempts), and Lily Graham (12 goals from 13 attempts), will have a second shot at making the grand final. They will face the winner of the minor semi-final to be decided between West Coast Fever and Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Spurred on by a sell-out crowd at Adelaide 36ers Arena, the Thunderbirds went straight to work from the start, as they opened up a six-goal lead at 19-13 to end the first quarter.
Defenders Sterling-Humphrey, Wilson, and company then applied consistent pressure to shut down Vixens’ attackers in the second quarter, and that resulted in the Thunderbirds outscoring the opponents 19-9 for a massive 16-goal lead—38-22—at the half-time interval.
The Vixens were well off colour where ball-handling and shooting accuracy are concerned, and that made life much easier for the Thunderbirds, who rode their momentum in the third quarter to extend the lead to 22 goals at 54-22 heading into the final quarter.
With such a wide lead, one would think the Tania Obst-coached Thunderbirds would relent, but not if Sterling-Humphrey had anything to say about it. The 28-year-old, as she has done all season, again paraded her athleticism and impressive timing to register a 300-intercept milestone.
In fact, she ended the contest with 14 gains and five intercepts, while Wilson had five gains, and Tayla Williams proved the link in mid-court with 19 goal assists and two gains as the Thunderbirds wrapped up an emphatic victory.
They are set to host the final at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on August 3.
Joe Schmidt has said he remains unsure about some of his Australia players following their 40-29 victory over Georgia at Sydney Football Stadium.
Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight scored doubles for the hosts, with Australia surviving a red card picked up by Filipo Daugunu for a knee to the head of Sandro Todua to maintain the Wallabies' new head coaches unbeaten start.
Schmidt made 10 changes to the side that beat Wales last Saturday in Melbourne, with some taking the opportunity with both hands, while others fell short.
"Some guys have really put their hands up and other guys probably need a bit of work," Schmidt said.
"Some guys are delivering really consistent training performances and pushing for match day selection. Whether you're playing Georgia or next time we come out in Brisbane, it will be South Africa.
"We have a number of players who we're not sure about, who is maybe the best option in a particular position or who's the best combination."
Australia led 26-10 at the break, and although Georgia rallied in the second half, the home side triumphed in only the third meeting between the pair.
Hunter Paisami and Isaac Kailea went over the line early on, but Dauganu's sending off allowed Georgia a way back into the contest.
The visitors closed to within two points of Australia with two scintillating tries early in the second half through Davit Niniashvili and Akaki Tabutsadze.
However, their challenge faded as Niniashvili was sin-binned for a deliberate knockdown, as McReight and Valetini secured three successive wins for the first time since late 2021.
“It is only three weeks that we’ve been together and we made 10 changes and we knew there was an element of risk in that,” Schmidt said.
“But I like the way we built our way into the game, bar the early three points.
“We put a few nice tries together and built a lead, but it was really disappointing that they got back into the game and we were scrambling just a little bit.”
The Wallabies next face world champions South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener in Brisbane on August 10.
New Zealand captain Scott Barrett insists improvements will be made despite the All Blacks easing to a 47-5 win over Fiji in San Diego.
Scott Robertson's men scored seven tries at the Snapdragon Stadium in a side that included six debutants from their 2–0 series win over England last week.
The All Blacks led 26-5 at half-time, but Fiji still managed to restrict their opponents to the lowest score of their eight Test encounters.
"Fiji certainly showed up tonight in the physical areas," said captain Barrett. "It wasn't fully polished, we have pretty high standards in this team.
"They were able to get their hands on the ball to turn it over at times but we created enough opportunities to turn into points."
Caleb Clarke and Cortez Ratima scored converted tries in the opening exchanges, before Vilimoni Botitu notched Fiji's only try of the contest.
Sevu Reece would increase the All Blacks' advantage in the second half, before George Bell, on his debut, went over for the final try of the encounter.
The result maintains New Zealand's eight-game winning run, with head coach Scott Robertson nodding to the future following impressive performances from his debutants.
“Keeping them to five points is pretty special," Robertson said. "We scored some great tries, we left a lot out there.
"I’m really proud of a lot of efforts and the six debutants who really stood up.
“It was exciting to see how that talent went. They showed why we picked them. We’ve had seven debutants over the three games.
"It’s been intense with the travel coming over here. I’m pleased everyone has learnt quickly and been incredibly professional off the field.”
Bob MacIntyre feared he would shoot 90 ahead of his remarkable comeback at The Open on Friday.
MacIntyre found himself in trouble in the opening four holes at Royal Troon, scoring two triple bogeys as he dropped eight shots early on.
The Oban-born man went to nine under, three shots below the projected cut line as it seemed he would be unable to replicate his Scottish Open win a week prior.
However, a remarkable turn of form saw MacIntyre shoot four under for the remaining 14 holes, making it through to the weekend's action with one shot to spare.
“That was carnage," MacIntyre said. "I was actually nervous going out. I said it to the whole team. They’re like, 'Why?' Because that front nine is going to be carnage for me.
"After four holes, I was staring 90 in the face. When I made that eight on the fourth, my head was completely gone.
"I’m just thankful (my caddie) Mike managed to keep me somewhat calm once the head was going a little bit.
"Once he started to talk sense to me, I started to realise, 'You actually haven’t played that bad and you’re shooting gazillions.' That’s where we calmed down.
"I didn’t think I was going to make the weekend, but Mike said. 'Look, fans are here to watch. Just give them what they want, severe dig and fight' - and that’s what I did.
"I just tried my best and managed to turn it around"
On a day when Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods all missed the cut, MacIntyre left the home fans heading home happy as he joined amateur Calum Scott and Ewen Ferguson in the next round.
Asked if he’d been able to pull off such a ‘Great Escape’ a year ago before playing in a winning Ryder Cup team and winning twice on the PGA Tour, he replied: “No, I'd have been gone.
"I'd have been in my car already and up the road. The attitude has been massive for me the last 12, 15 weeks. It’s been superb.
"I’m just proud of the way I fought, making this cut, especially after last week.
"The support I had out there was unbelievable. I felt like I was letting everyone down, not just myself, but my team and the fans.
"But it was just about fighting and they helped me a long way."
Hunter Brown and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and the Houston Astros moved into a tie for the AL West lead with a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Yainer Diaz delivered the big blow with a two-run single and the Astros (51-46) won for the 18th time in 24 games. They trailed the Mariners by 10 games and were seven games under .500 on June 18.
Seattle, meanwhile, has stumbled to an 8-16 mark during that span and turned in a listless effort against a division rival coming out of the All-Star break that led to boos from the home fans after the final out.
Brown allowed four hits with three walks and five strikeouts to win for the sixth time in seven starts.
Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly each worked a perfect inning and Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 19th save.
Houston did all its scoring in the third against Luis Castillo.
Trey Cabbage doubled, then scored as Jose Altuve reached on a bunt single and a bad throw by Josh Rojas got away from first baseman Ty France. Alex Bregman was hit by a pitch and Yordan Alvarez walked to load the bases.
Diaz then jumped on Castillo’s first pitch for a two-run single and a 3-0 lead.
Pirates rally, walk-off Phillies
Nick Gonzales delivered a walk-off single and the surging Pittsburgh Pirates completed a rally from a three-run deficit for an 8-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pittsburgh trailed 7-4 but pulled to within one in the seventh on an RBI infield single by Oneil Cruz and Rowdy Tellez’s sacrifice fly.
Jose Alvardo was called on to protect the slim lead in the ninth, but Connor Joe led off with a single and Andew McCutchen walked. After a double steal, Bryan Reynolds struck out and Cruz brought home the tying run on a fielder’s choice.
Gonzales then sent a first-pitch cutter through the left side of the infield to give the Pirates their fifth straight win and seventh in eight games.
Pittsburgh (49-48) moved over .500 for the first time since April 24.
Trea Turner homered and Weston Wilson had a career-high three hits, including his first home run of the season, for the major league-best Phillies, who lost their third in four games.
Freeman’s slam lifts Dodgers
Freddie Freeman drilled a grand slam in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen worked four scoreless innings in a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Nick Pivetta limited the Dodgers to two hits over six scoreless innings, but the Dodgers got to Boston’s bullpen in the eighth.
Miguel Vargas drew a leadoff walk against Zach Kelly and Chris Taylor struck out before Brennan Bernadino entered. He gave up a ground-rule double down the left-field line to Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Freeman followed by sending an 0-1 slider over the wall in right field for his 15th home run and seventh career grand slam.
Gavin Stone allowed one run and six hits over five innings before Anthony Banda, Alex Vesia and Ryan Yarbrough each pitched a scoreless frame. Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
All-Star MVP Jarren Duran homered for the Red Sox, who entered the break with 10 wins in 14 games.
Rory McIlroy conceded he struggled to adapt to the windy conditions after failing to make the cut at The Open on Friday.
The Northern Irishman followed up a dismal seven-over 78 on Thursday by carding 75 in the second round, finishing 11 over at the halfway point.
After being pipped to the U.S. Open last month by Bryson DeChambeau, who also missed the cut at Royal Troon, McIlroy's hopes of finally earning his first major title since 2014 will stretch into next year.
After finishing the round, McIlroy admitted the weather played a big part as he struggled to adapt his game to get the better of the conditions.
"Obviously, got off to the worst start possible today, being six over through six. If I need to remember something about this week, it'll be the last few holes that I played," McIlroy told reporters.
"When I look back on the two majors that I didn't play my best at, here and the Masters, the wind got the better of me on Friday at Augusta, and then the wind got the better of me the last two days here.
"Twenty-two holes into the event, and I'm thinking about where I'm going to go on vacation next week. That was basically it.
"I knew from then I'd sort of resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to shoot, whatever it is, from there on in to make the cut.
"It was a pretty meaningless 14 holes after that, but at least I played okay. When the wind dropped, my game felt a little more comfortable."
McIlroy looked set to end his long wait for a major title at the U.S. Open in June, only to collapse during the final four holes and lose by a single stroke.
Despite his early exit from The Open, McIlroy remains optimistic about his chances going forward if he can put his recent disappointments behind him.
"I think I have to remind myself that I am close and keep giving myself chances," McIlroy told Sky Sports.
"These disappointing Sundays are racking up, but I'd much rather have disappointing Sundays than be going home on a Friday night.
"I've got to keep doing what I'm doing, reflect on the windy conditions getting the better of me at two of the majors this year. That is something I am going to have to address going forward."
Lando Norris believes there will be an eight-car challenge for pole during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Brit set the pace at practice on Friday, just edging Max Verstappen to the top of the pile as they prepare to continue their rivalry at the top of the drivers' standings.
Carlos Sainz finished third on a day when the action was interrupted following Charles Leclerc's crash, where he spun into the barriers on Turn 4.
Norris, who finished third in the British Grand Prix last time out, is aiming to get his second win of the season and admits it is tough to call who will come out on top in qualifying, especially after Mercedes' recent success.
Asked about his chances of taking pole after practice, Norris said: "From today, pretty reasonable. It was a nice lap. Today, we could get a good amount of it, but tomorrow's another day.
"I think it's close between us, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull. I feel like we have eight cars here who are going to be fighting for a pole, and even some other cars that looked very quick, like the Haas even.
"A good first day but definitely a little bit more work to do if we want to be a bit more comfortable."
Mercedes have won the last two Grand Prix, with George Russell claiming an unexpected win in Austria before Lewis Hamilton ended a three-year wait for victory with a triumph at Silverstone.
However, Hamilton, who finished seventh in the second practice session behind team-mate George Russell in fifth, was not optimistic about his chances following practice, explaining his car was struggling to cope with the heat in Budapest.
"[It] felt just as bad as it does normally when it's hot," Hamilton said. "Today's not been a good day, really.
"The car hasn't felt good setup-wise, but we think we have an idea why, and we'll just work overnight. It's not the best prep so far.
"[We made] little tweaks [in between sessions] but the car was pretty much the same. There's a particular thing that we left - that we're changing into this weekend - that we probably need to go back on.
"It's all relatively close otherwise. We couldn't do the pace that the other guys did today, but the long run, pace was pretty decent at the end."
Rory McIlroy has missed the cut in the second round of The Open, having failed to improve on his dismal score from the first.
The Northern Irishman had hopes of clinching a first major title in a decade, but his wait will stretch into an 11th year after carding 75 on Friday.
McIlroy went round in a seven-over par 78 in the first round and continued to toil at Royal Troon as he finished 11 over.
Bryson DeChambeau, who pipped McIlroy to the U.S. Open title at Pinehurst last month, did not fare much better.
On the back of his best major run to date, finishing tied sixth at The Masters before finishing as a runner-up at the PGA Championship, the American came unstuck in Scotland once more, shooting 75 to finish nine over.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry holds the lead going into the weekend, recovering brilliantly from a double bogey to give himself a two-stroke lead over Daniel Brown and Justin Rose (both on five under).
Rose finished strongly, holing his putt on the 18th from a long way out to finish with a three-under 68 for the day to put himself into contention for a first Claret Jug.
The Scottish Open winner Robert MacIntyre also staged a remarkable comeback. Having played the first four holes in eight over, he scored four under on the next 14 to make the cut.
Scottie Scheffler (two under) and Xander Schauffele (one under) also kept themselves in with a chance.
Alexander Zverev booked his place in the Hamburg Open semi-finals with a straight-sets victory over Zhizhen Zhang.
The top seed - and reigning champion - kept his title defence very much on track, prevailing 6-4 6-3 after 66 minutes on Center Court.
Zverev dominated on serve during the opening set, dropping just three points, while a break in game five paved the way for him to move halfway towards victory.
The home favourite made another statement of intent when he broke in the opening game of the second set.
Another break followed at 5-3 to secure victory and send the Italian Open champion through to his seventh ATP semi-final of the season - and third on clay, having also reached the French Open final.
There, he will play Pedro Martinez after the Spaniard beat fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.
Data Debrief: Statement of intent from Zverev
The German demonstrated his desire to maintain his hold on the trophy he won in front of his home crowd last season, and become only the third player this century to successfully defend the crown after Roger Federer and Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Indeed, Zverev hit 10 aces and won 29 of 33 points on first serve (88%), while converting three of his four break-point opportunities.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will play Matteo Berrettini in the Swiss Open semi-finals, after seeing off Fabio Fognini in straight sets on Friday.
The two-time major finalist, who is making his first appearance in Gstaad, took 66 minutes to wrap up a 6-4 6-3 victory over the Italian on Roy Emerson Court.
Though he relinquished an early break in the opening set, Tsitsipas claimed a crucial one at 5-4 to edge his nose in front.
Despite seeing another early break cancelled out in the second set, the Greek managed to earn another, and eventually progressed to the last four in comfortable fashion.
"My returns worked pretty well, I was very consistent with them," he said. "I insisted on staying back throughout the match and giving it a bit of a loop, trying to get the angles from the very beginning. It worked pretty well.
"I'm happy with how I started serving towards the end of the match. In the beginning, I was still trying to figure out how I was going to open up the court and create opportunities on my serve. It took me a while to figure out. I unlocked the code towards the end."
Another Italian lies in wait for Tsitsipas in Berrettini, who overcame Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-2).
The former Wimbledon finalist is seeking his second clay-court title of the season, having also triumphed in Marrakech, while he was runner-up to Jack Draper in Stuttgart last month.
Data Debrief: Another Italian Job well done by Tsitsipas
Reigning Monte-Carlo Masters champion Tsitsipas is through to his fourth ATP semi-final of the season, with three of those coming on clay, while recording his fifth straight victory in as many meetings with Fognini.
The Greek now boasts an impressive 14-1 record against Italian opponents on surface - his only such defeat coming against Jannik Sinner in Rome four years ago.
George Russell says he has been picking the brains of tennis great Novak Djokovic in a bid to ensure longevity in Formula One.
The Mercedes driver is aiming to reach the pinnacle of his sport and remain there for a sustained period of time, something achieved by 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic.
A two-time Grand Prix winner - including in Austria this year - Russell has sought inspiration from the Serbian in recent years, as he looks to follow suit in the F1 World Championship.
And the 26-year-old, who was at Wimbledon for Djokovic's final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz last weekend, gave a brief insight into his learnings.
"We've shared ideas together, and he's been really open with me about things he's trying and what's working for him," Russell said.
"I don't want to share too much because they are private conversations, but I just really like how he's constantly wanting to learn more and that inspires me to learn more about myself, what works for me, what works for them and pushing the boundaries.
"There's a lot that he knows that I won't and vice versa, and you've got to take all these ideas from the best in each profession and see what you can take for yourself.
"I feel fit, healthy and in a great place right now at the age of 26, but I need to make sure that I'm fit, healthy and as motivated in 10 years' time, 15 years' time, who knows 20 years’ time. I'm trying to put in work now."
Russell occupies seventh place in the 2024 drivers' championship standings ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, where he finished fifth in the second practice session on Friday.
Lando Norris led the way with an impressive time of 1:17.788 seconds, 0.243 seconds ahead of leader Max Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz taking third on a day where the action was interrupted following Charles Leclerc's earlier crash.
The Ferrari driver spun into the barriers after taking too much kerb at Turn 4, but thankfully was unhurt.
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